SINNEAVE – James G. (Jim)

Jim Sinneave beloved husband of Marion of Calgary, passed away on Friday, September 4, 2009 at the age of 80 years.

Jim was born in Regina, Saskatchewan on September 4, 1929. On June 4, 1949, Jim married Marion making their home in Regina. Jim began his career with Eecol Electric in Regina, working for many years within the Company before becoming President and CEO. As owner of Eecol, Jim always remained active in the company, until his passing. Jim was very active and supportive of his community, being a major contributor to the Children’s Hospital Foundation among other organization across North America. In 2007, Jim began the Sinneave Family Foundation, to help people with Autism. Jim had a great passion for people. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, friend and colleague and will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

Jim is survived by his loving wife Marion of sixty years; daughter Debbie Foss; sons and daughter-in-law, Rob Sinneave and Rick and Brune Sinneave; as well as six grandchildren.

Those wishing to pay their respects may do so at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY’S Fish Creek Chapel (14441 Bannister Road S.E.) on Friday, September 11, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Forward condolences through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. If friends so desire, in lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Sinneave Family Foundation (3820-24th Ave NW, Calgary, AB T3B 2X9) 403-955-5975

Condolence Messages

One of my fondest memories of my Uncle is when our family would drive to a halfway point between Saskatoon (where Jim lived at the time) and Regina where we lived with Arnold (his brother….. my dad) We would have a picnic and play games and just have fun. Now the 2 brothers are together with their sister Jane. My condolences to the family.

Mrs. Sinneave & Family:
I have the pleasure of working for a supplier of Eecol Elelctric and had the opportunity to meet with Jim many times over the years.
I enjoyed his wit, his banter and admired his ability see the “big” picture.
Jim was a great man and he leaves behind a fantastic legacy.
We will miss him.
Tim Sutton
Canarm Ltd

Dear Marion and family,
I was lucky enough to meet Jim early in my career when you were based in Saskatoon.

From that first meeting a wonderful business friendship developed over the next 38 years and my life was definitely enriched by our association.
Jim was the gold standard when it came to having a stalwart friend as he never let me down as I strived to do likewise.
While our lives naturally drifted apart after my retirement, Angie and I remember you and Jim with great fondness and our hearts and prayers go out to you and your family in these very sad and difficult times.

Weaved within your sorrow and grief will be moments of remembering of all the wonderful gifts Jim brought to each and every one of you. His gift of love, affection, laughter and memories.
Hold on to them dearly.

On behalf of the owners and staff @ Richard McDonald and Associates Ltd. please extend our deepest condolences to the Sinneave family. Jim’s contributions were significant within the community. Not bad for a kid from Regina! He always made us feel welcome and a part of things! He will be missed!
Richard and Connie McDonald + The Staff

Dear Marion, Debbie, Rick, Brune and Rob, My thoughts are with you and my sincere condolences to you all. Jim truly was a remarkable man – very kind, gentle, hard working and humble and a true inspiration to others. It has been a privilege to meet Jim and your whole family and please know that we are all willing to help in any way we can. Liz

To family and friends, my sincere respect and heartfelt condolences.
There are very few people that we meet during our short journey in life that have such a profound impact on us all.
Mr. Sinneave was one of them.
My personal time spent with Jim was very limited, however we had a momment to laugh, a small drink together, and the serious moments regarding work and business opportunities.
I will cherish these moments and remember him well

I am very sorry to hear about Jim’s passing. I met Jim at the IED meetings many times and he has been an absolute gentleman. He will be missed for many years to come. My prayers are with all of Jim’s Family.

I would like to pass along on behalf of all of us at Guillevin International our sincere condolences to Jim Sinneave’s Family and his Colleagues at Eeecol Electric. Jim’s legacy will surely continue and he will be greatly missed by our Industry.

I wish to extend my most sincere sympathy to you upon the loss of your husband, father and grandfather. He was respected and admired by everyone who dealt with him in the electrical industry, and his leadership will be missed by the community as well.

Our heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Sinneave and family. Although I never had the pleasure to meet Mr. Sinneave personally, we spoke over the telephone and it was obvious from our conversation that he was a warm, kind and generous man. I’ve also learned a great deal about his humility in the quiet way that he wanted others around him recognized while he remained in the background. There are too few people like him in the world and he will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Respectfully
Dave Mikkelsen, children and staff at Society for Treatment of Autism

My deepest sympathy to you all at this difficult time. I am truly humbled to have had a chance to meet such a passionate, sincere and generous man. As we progress forward he will always be at the forefront of my work here in the Foundation.
Sharon Nagel

DEAR MARION & FAMILY….IT WAS WITH GREAT SADNESS I HEARD OF JIM’S PASSING TODAY..MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU AS YOU BEGIN A ROAD WITHOUT JIM…I, TOO AM ON THAT PATH & IF I EVER CAN DO ANYTHING, EVEN JUST TALK …I WILL BE THERE FOR YOU…OUR LONG TIME FRIENDSHIP BRINGS BACK SO MANY HAPPY TIMES THE FOUR OF US HAD ESPECIALLY IN AZ….THESE ARE THE KINDS OF MEMORIES THAT WILL EASE THE TEARS AND BRING THE SUN BACK INTO YOUR LIFE….WE BOTH HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR…GREAT HUSBAND..LOVING DAD AND CARING GRANDPARENT..SIXTY YEARS OF A STRONG MARRIAGE..NOT MANY ARE AS FORTUNATE AS WE HAVE BEEN….SO AT NITE WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO SLEEP COUNT ALL THE GOOD THINGS AND LIFE BECOMES EASIER..YOU ARE ALL IN MY THOUGHTS N PRAYERS…SINCERLY, BETTY..

I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS.
THERE WAS NO OTHER MAN IN THE WORLD THAT
I HAD MORE RESPECT FOR INCLUDING MY OWN
FATHER. THE WAY HE TREATED PEOPLE IN
GENERAL AS WELL AS THE WAY HE TOOK CARE
OF HIS STAFF AND THEIR FAMILY. NOT ONLY
YOUR FAMILY BUT THE WORLD IS A LESS
BETTER PLACE TO BE WITH THE PASSING OF
JIM.

Marion, Our sincere sympathy to you and your family on the unexpected passing of your wonderful husband of 60 years. My first wife, Lee, passed away 16 years ago with ALS so I know the heartache you are enduring.

While I have only known the Sinneave family for two years, Jim made an indelible impression on me with his business acumen and generous and thoughtful philanthropic actions.

I know you have been absolutley essential in his success in all those areas and I look forward to helping you achieve the objectives of the Sinneave Foundation.

Dear Mrs. Sinneave & family:
It was my great pleasure to work at Eecol Electric in Thunder Bay for over 15 years. I met Mr. Sinneave at our grand opening and was touched by his kind and gentle ways. He always knew everyones name and was so down to earth. I have been retired for two years and was saddened to learn of Mr. Sinneave’s passing.
Please accept my condolences as well as my prayers. You have lost a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. Eecol has lost a terrific leader and friend.

Please accept my most sincere condolences in your loss. It was my pleasure to have known Jim from days of Electric Equipment Ltd. During that time I learned to respect Jim as a friend and a competitor.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this very difficult time. Mr. Sinneave’s contribution to our community will forever live on. We are so grateful for his generosity and support of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. We look forward to working with the Sinneave Foundation to fulfill his vision.

My earliest memory was when he had come in to our branch about 20 or so years ago. He was walking around introducing himself to the staff that he had not yet met. He came up to me, chatted for a bit, and then was making his way off to meet some of the others. As I said to him “It was nice meeting you Mr. Sinneave”, he turned around and said to me “Please, call me Jim”. This will always stay with me as it made me feel like I was part of the EECOL family. I know that there are many of us here that can share that similar memory. He will be greatly missed as he has been a mentor and a friend to many of us. My sincerest condolences go out to Marion and their family.

We were so sorry to hear of the passing of Papa Jim. He was always such a kind and caring man to all that knew him. I will never forget the great time we had visiting in Phoenix so many years ago Debbie. David had a great respect for him because of his support of his great grandchildren Sean, Mike and Rachel. Please pass on my deepest sympathy to your Mom, Marion and your family Debbie. Always keep your memories close to your hearts and he will be with you always. Sincerely and with Love, Wayne, Donna, Jennifer and David.

My condolences on the loss of Jim. I had the pleasure of enjoying his company several times over the past 11 years. He was a true gentlemen, a caring person, passionate about life and business and very highly respected in our industry. I will miss him.